General automation systems are becoming more and more prevalent in homes, office buildings, hotels, and other facilities. Typical present day automation systems have the capability to provide the coordinated control of heating and/or cooling systems, security systems, audiovisual systems, lighting systems, appliances, communication systems, etc. For example, it is not uncommon for residential structures to have audiovisual systems which provide music and/or programming to multiple locations throughout the structure. A coordinated heating/cooling system could also be included to allow programmed control of the building temperature. Similarly, office buildings often have the need for audiovisual systems in conference rooms which provide media management, and data communications capabilities. An audiovisual control system may also include a network computer, thus providing the additional ability to access networks and/or the Internet via audiovisual displays. In yet another example, hotels and multi-unit residential facilities may incorporate automated systems to provide communication between rooms and a centralized service system providing desired amenities (concierge services, room service, etc.) In this example, each residence may include an interface unit interacting with a main desk, thus easily allowing messages and information to be easily communicated as necessary. Further, entertainment programming could likewise be distributed utilizing this same system, with programming being provided to individual rooms by a central system and played via in-room equipment.
Remote controls are widely utilized in many of the above-mentioned control systems. Remote control devices are becoming more and more sophisticated, providing additional convenience, capabilities and features. For example, compact displays in remote control devices are becoming more efficient and effective, thus providing the ability to clearly display significant amounts of information in a relatively small area. Additionally, processing power continues to increase, thus providing the ability to include relatively complex processors within compact remote control devices. Other notable features of present day remote controls include the ability to cooperate with multiple different devices as desired. As can be anticipated, several options are available which allow for the development of extremely powerful remote control devices.
With increased power and capability comes the added complexity of programming and/or operating these remote control devices. The ability to clearly communicate information required for a user to program or operate a handheld remote must be balanced with the need to keep these devices an appropriate and ergonomically acceptable size. Even with the continuing development in compact displays, the available area for conveying complex and often confusing information to the user is limited.
In addition, modern day handheld devices have become increasingly powerful. Examples of these devices include smart phones, music players, electronic tablets, etc. More specifically, these devices include the iPhone™, iPod Touch™ and iPad™ devices (manufactured and sold by Apple Inc.), smart phones and tablets by Blackberry™, Android™ phones and tablets, and touch screen devices by Motorola, Samsung and others. These devices all include processors capable of performing multiple tasks and supporting many different “applications”. One particular application allows these devices to control various devices using network connections such as WIFI or cellular networks. Using those communication techniques, these devices are able to transmit control signals to audio/visual equipment either directly via IP or using an additional hardware interface box. In essence, the user has the ability to utilize the interface of the handheld device to provide control signals to additional components.
When using this “remote control application” to control additional equipment, smart devices have a number of shortcomings. Most significantly, the handheld device must be running the actual remote control application to be effective. If a user switches to another application or uses the smart device in any other way, they must then “switch back” to the remote control application in order to produce and transmit control signals. For users who “multi-task”, this can be very inconvenient, distracting and time consuming.